Externals Affair Ministry Dr. S Jaishankar on Wednesday schooled senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with history lessons after he accused the Modi government of being responsible for the closer ties between China and Pakistan.

Speaking at Motion of Thanks to President’s address during Budget session 2022, Gandhi accused the central government of bringing China and Pakistan together. “The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy has been to keep Pakistan and China separate. What you have done is, you have brought them together,” he proclaimed.

Responding to this allegation, Dr. Jaishankar took to Twitter and shared some historical facts about the close relationship between China and Pakistan. The External Affairs Minister said Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963 while China built the Karakoram highway through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the 1970s.

In a subsequent tweet, Dr. Jaishankar added that the two countries had closer nuclear ties from the 1970s onwards. He also mentioned China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which was started in 2013, a year before PM Modi came to power at the Centre.

“So ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?” EAM Jaishankar asked.

Besides, Dr. Jaishankar also rebutted Gandhi for his remarks that India could not get a single dignitary for the Republic Day celebrations this year.

“Ask yourselves why you are not able to get a guest on Republic Day. Today India is completely isolated & surrounded. We are surrounded by Sri Lanka, Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China. Everywhere we are surrounded. Our opponents understand our position,” Gandhi had said.

In response to this, Dr. Jaishankar said India could not get a foreign guest because the country was in the midst of a coronavirus wave. Taking a swipe at the Gandhi scion, Jaishankar tweeted, “The 5 Central Asian Presidents, who were to come, did hold a virtual summit on Jan 27. Did Rahul Gandhi miss that as well?”

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemns Rahul Gandhi for raising aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary, EC

Earlier, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju condemned Rahul Gandhi’s statements and asked the Wayanad MP to apologize to the nation for raising aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary and Election Commission.

Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said, “Not only as India’s Law Minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Rahul Gandhi has said about India’s judiciary and EC. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologize to the people, judiciary, and EC.”

At the Lok Sabha, Gandhi had said, “The Judiciary, the Election Commission, Pegasus, these are all instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states.”

References:

opindia.com